Just when you thought Dwayne Johnson was starting to refocus his career on R-rated action movies, he goes and does… this. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is the sequel to the Brendan Fraser 3D adventure Journey to the Center of the Earth, and aside from the improved cast it doesn’t seem like the budget has really increased. It essentially looks like a low rent Jurassic Park knockoff with gratuitous 3D effects. Brendan Fraser is not returning because director of the first film, Eric Brevig, had scheduling conflicts and apparently Fraser just couldn’t see another movie working without him. Makes perfect sense.

The story has shifted the focus to be on Josh Hutcherson’s character Sean, who teams up with his mom’s boyfriend (Dwayne Johnson) to find his grandfather (Michael Caine), who supposedly disappeared while exploring a mythical lost island. Luis Guzmán also serves as the comic relief while Vanessa Hudgens plays the love interest. The movie is directed by Brad Peyton (Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore) and written by Brian and Mark Gunn (Bring It on Again). All I want to know is whether or not the “Pec Pop of Love” was actually written on paper ahead of time. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island hits theatres on February 10th; check out the trailer after the jump and see what you think.

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Kasper

Wow, the CGI looks like something right out of a low-budget tv-movie. I really hope this is just an early look at the film, because those special effects are embarassing.

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It really doesn’t look any better or worse than the first one, and good for Rock for *gasp* doing different kinds of movies and trying to appeal to different audiences! It’s like the opposite of what Jason Statham does. Anyway, Rock has now hijacked 2 Fraser franchises, and I can only hope that he’ll take on Encino Man next…